A Taste of Thai

It was after my mom returned from a trip to India that I truly discovered my love for ethnic cuisine. She had enjoyed a dish in India, a Thai soup, that she looked up upon her return and made for me; it was this dish that is responsible for the awakening of my culinary pursuits. My mom looked up the recipe for the soup she had eaten and made “Chang Mai Noodle Soup” – a dish that from then on has been my favorite meal to consume. I remember the first time she made it, how exotic the ingredients seemed, the intoxication I felt from the aromas, the mesmerizing swirl as she stirred the soup. This was one of the first dishes I ever truly made on my own and one that I continue to make and share with others. I found it only fitting to share this dish first.

The beauty of this recipe is that it doesn't require very many ingredients and is very simple to make - most importantly very difficult to make improperly. This is a dish of preference - you can customize it to make it whatever you want and regardless it will taste DELICIOUS.

Ingredients:

Soup:

Chicken Broth and Coconut Milk - equal parts - for this recipe I used 6 cans of each

1 Tablespoon of Turmeric

8 teaspoons of Red Curry Paste

1 Tablespoon of soy sauce

a pinch of salt and pepper

2-3 lbs of chicken breast cut into bite size pieces (about the size of a dice is best)

Noodles:

1 pack of Thai egg noodles

1 can of chicken broth

Garnish:

3 cloves of garlic

1 lime

Green onions

2 Thai chiles

Cilantro

Recipe:

1. Place 1/3 of the coconut milk (in this case two cans) in a large pot and bring to a boil

2. Add the turmeric and red curry paste and stir until smooth 

3. Add the chicken and cook for 3-5 minutes

4. Add the remainder of coconut milk & chicken broth as well as soy sauce, salt, pepper. (You may add fish sauce but this is completely optional)

at this point add the chicken broth to a pot and bring to a boil then add the noodles, cover with a lid and let cook for about 5 minutes - they will absorb the chicken broth and do not need to be rinsed once removed from the pot

5. Turn the broth to medium and cook for another 5-10 minutes, stirring occasionally.

Fry garlic to go on top, mince Thai chiles, Chop, slice or curl green onions, sprinkle cilantro on top, and squeeze lime juice in to garnish - the lime will cut the spice for those of you who cannot take the heat.

I hope you enjoy this dish and please let me know if you have any questions!!

Green onions - you can curl them by seperating them with your fingers, slice, or chop - I prefer chopped but curled look prettier!

Voila!